CDSG Newsletter
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CDSGThe Newsletter The Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. — February 2015 Chairman’s Message CDSG Meeting and Tour Calendar Norm Scarpulla Please advise Terry McGovern of any additions or changes at [email protected] This year, our conference will be from April 29 to May 3, covering the fortifications of the Delaware River and Bay. These include the 2015 CDSG Annual Conference unchanged First System Fort Mifflin at Philadelphia to the World April 29 to May 3, 2015 War 2 Fort Miles at the ocean. We have the cooperation of the state HD Delaware River park agencies and other site managers, so there will be much to see. Terry McGovern, [email protected] This conference is coming up soon, so please make your reserva- tions and plan to attend. More information is in the Newsletter. 2016 CDSG Annual Conference We need members to write articles for the Journal and Newsletter. April 2016 Even a short report about a visit to a fort is useful. Articles that HD Portsmouth NH narrate the history of a fort or the experiences of a coast artillery Craig Lentz, [email protected] veteran can be published. More difficult to write are articles that examine why and how forts were built and operated, or the history CDSG Special Tour and operation of a particular piece of equipment. If you have an February 27 - March 7, 2016 idea for an article, contact our Journal editor, Bolling Smith, and Panama Canal Zone discuss what might be needed to write it. Terry McGovern, [email protected] Please consider being a site representative, a member who stays in contact with the site owner or manager of a coast defense site, 2017 CDSG Annual Conference and acts as a conduit for information both ways. What is going on April 2017 at the site? what questions does the site manager have? You don’t New York need to know everything, just be willing to make contact with N. Scarpulla & S. Welch, [email protected] the site owner or manager periodically, and show that CDSG will support the preservation and interpretation of the site. CDSG Special Tour Currently, we have 394 members. If you have not done so al- Defenses of Switzerland ready, please send in your 2015 renewal as soon as possible. Also, Terry McGovern, [email protected] we need to continue to recruit new members. When you visit a fort or a military event, be an ambassador for the CDSG. Wear a 2018 CDSG Conference CDSG shirt, hat, or patch. Talk to people about the organization April 2018 and point them to our website, CDSG.org. Can you recruit a new Proposed Columbia River, OR/WA member in 2015? Other Meetings and Tours * * * * * Preservation Committee Report March 28 - April 11, 2015 Gordon Bliss Menno van Coehoorn Meeting and Tour Voorne-Putten, Netherlands 2014 Year in Review Fritz van Horn, [email protected] The largest preservation issues this past year are at Gateway April 24 -26, 2015 NRA and Fort Monroe. Gateway has adopted a new General Fortress Study Group Study Weekend Management Plan that is not favorable towards the coast defense Plymouth, England structures, though it has not been implemented yet. Apart from Keith Phillips, [email protected] that, they have issued Requests for Proposal for the leasing and redevelopment of some of the historic buildings at Fort Hancock, May 6 -10 starting with 6 buildings. This is an excellent opportunity to save INTERFEST Annual Meeting many of the structures at the core of Fort Hancock which might Trutno, Czech Republic otherwise continue to deteriorate. Let’s hope that this is successful. Florian Brouwers, [email protected] The CDSG Newsletter, February 2015 Page 2 May 6 - 10, 2015 October 3 - 10, 2015 Council on America's Military Past Annual Meeting Menno van Coehoorn Meeting and Tour New Orleans, LA Wesel, Germany Marylou Gjernes, [email protected] Fritz van Horn, [email protected] May 13 - 17, 2015 October 16, 2015 Association Vauban Annual Congress International Fortress Council Annual Meeting Saint Malo, Brittany, France Antwerp, Belgium Mary Pierdait Fillie, [email protected] Kees Neisingh, [email protected] May 30 - June 6, 2015 November 7, 2015 Fortress Study Group Overseas Tour Menno van Coehoorn Meeting South Portugal Grouw, Netherlands Charles Blackwood, [email protected] Fritz van Horn, [email protected] May 29 -30, 2015 November 7, 2015 Menno van Coehoorn Tour Association Saint-Maurice d'Etudes Militaries Annual Meeting Venlo, Netherlands St.-Maurice, Switzerland Fritz van Horn, [email protected] Col. Pascal Bruchez, [email protected] August/September 2015 May 2016 ECCOFORT Reg. Association Tour Fortress Study Group Overseas Tour Verona, Italy Menorca/Majorca Hans-Rudolf Neuman, [email protected] TBA, [email protected] September 9 - 13, 2015 September 2016 Association Vauban Study Tour Association Saint-Maurice d'Etudes Militaries Annual Meeting Stockholm, Sweden Italian Alps - Dolmiten Mary Pierdait Fillie, [email protected] Col. Pascal Bruchez, [email protected] September 11-15, 2015 Sept/Oct 2016 Association Saint-Maurice d'Etudes Militaries Tour ECCOFORT Reg. Association Tour Hamburg, Germany Edirne, the Dardenelles, Istanbul Col. Pascal Bruchez, [email protected] Hans-Rudolf Neuman, [email protected] September 2015 October 2016 Annual Meeting Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Fetungsforshung International Fortress Council Annual Meeting Nurnberg, Germany Toulon, France Kees Neisingh, [email protected] September 2015 Fortress Study Group Annual Conference May 2017 Clyde, Scotland Fortress Study Group Overseas Tour Norman Clark, [email protected] Lake Garda, Italy Norman Clark, [email protected] September 2015 Association Vauban Tour Sweden Mary Pierdait Fillie, [email protected] At Fort Monroe, the reversion to the state has not happened yet very successful; leasing for commercial space less so. due to some contentious issues between the state and the Army. Information about the General Management Plan for Gateway The Fort Monroe Authority did vote to allow development in the NRA can be found at former Wherry housing area north of the original fort rather than http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome. keep it as green space, but nothing has happened on that yet and cfm?projectID=16091 the new Governor of Virginia may have a different view on what Information on the NPS plans for Fort Monroe can be found at is to be done with areas of the fort. From the information I’ve http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome. read, the leasing of the remaining residential structures has been cfm?projectID=41444 The CDSG Newsletter, February 2015 Page 3 And more general information at the Fort Monroe Authority’s If you are interested in running or have a nomination, please website http://www.fmauthority.com/ contact Mike ([email protected]) or Charlie (cmabogart@ At Fort Emory (HD San Diego) the Navy is planning on aol.com) before May 1. destroying Battery 134 as part of a major development of train- ing facilities. They are planning to keep and reuse Battery Grant * * * (#239) and the PSR for Battery 134. The CDSG has written a CDSG Fund Recognizes CDSG letter against the destruction of the battery using both historical Volunteers for their Efforts in 2014 preservation and cost arguments. The Navy has reused Battery 134 in the past for various activities and it would be good if they The CDSG Fund held the 19th Annual CDSG Worker’s can do so again and keep this trio of structures intact. This process Dinner in recognition for CDSG member that volunteered their is just starting so it may be a while before there is a final decision. efforts over the past year for the CDSG. The dinner was held on In San Francisco the Doyle Drive/Presidio Parkway project Thursday, October 2, 2014 at Miguel’s Cocina in San Diego, CA. continues to move forward. All concrete has been poured for The following CDSG members were thanked for volunteer efforts the Battery Tunnels and traffic is scheduled to shift to the new (and the committees they worked on): Mark Berhow (Journal/ roadway by the end of this year with final landscaping done in News, Website, Press, Project), Bolling Smith (Journal/News), 2016. Further information on this project can be found at http:// Chris Zeeman (Website), Alan Hardy (Membership), Sam Stokes www.presidioparkway.org/ . (Membership), Glen Williford (Audit), Jon Prostak (Press), Tom In New Bedford that local support group for Fort Tabor has Batha (Press), Joe Janesic (Conference), Tom Kavanagh (Press), been contacted by the fire chief requesting that they open up a Terry McGovern (Press, Finance, Membership), Gordon Bliss second exit in the seaward face of the fort, which would have a (Preservation), and Mike Fiorini (Conference). The CDSG major effect on the historical structure. It is not clear that it needs Fund urges other CDSG members to volunteer their time and to be there and could instead be at an already altered landward effort for the CDSG so they too can be honored at next year’s facing area of the fort. I and others have been following up on annual dinner. this and the issue is still in progress. * * * * * The Friends of Pulpit Rock Tower continue to raise money for CDSG Tour to the Defenses of the preservation of the tower and to ensure repairs to the exterior the Panama Canal concrete necessary before the town can accept ownership. They Terrance McGovern have had some open houses and a fundraiser again this past year and I expect more to come this year. Further information can Paolo Sanfilippo and Terry McGovern have finalized plans be found at the Friend’s website at http://www.friendsofpul- for a CDSG special tour to the defenses of the Panama Canal pitrocktower.org/ .